The present invention relates to devices for supporting musical instruments.
The invention is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for use in supporting a violin or other such stringed instrument between the chin and shoulder of a musician. The device is preferably used for supporting the instrument on the shoulder of the musician. The instrument may also be provided with a chin support in the usual manner.
Shoulder supports for stringed musical instruments, for example violins, violas and the like are known, in which a holding bridge under the back of the instrument is provided. The holding bridge is connected with a padded support plate or rest plate by way of elastically resilient means which are formed in such a way that the rest plate is flexible in all directions with respect to the holding bridge.
This arrangement is disadvantageous because movement about a vertical axis of the instrument or lateral inclination of the instrument is only possible to a limited extent. Also, this arrangement is not formed so as to tilt in an axial direction of the spring-mounted adjustment device.
A further disadvantage is that the spring-mounted means do not enable a permanent adjustment of the instrument's position. Furthermore, any change in the instrument position from the optimum position to which it is originally adjusted also requires a change in the position of the rest plate, so that the player is often subject to a relatively high degree of strain while holding the instrument and playing.
For the above reasons, the known support devices do not enable any individual adaptation of the rest plate to the anatomy of the musician.
An object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide a device which ensures a contact, between the body and the rest plate, to be as immobile as possible in any playing position of the instrument. The device provides a pre-requisite for an anatomical adaptation of the rest plate contact surface, which ensures in particular that the chin region and the arm are relaxed and unstrained while holding the instrument in any playing position.
The present invention includes a device for supporting a musical instrument on the body of a musician. The device has a support member provided with clamping means at each end thereof for clamping said member to respective edges of the musical instrument. The support member is preferably shaped to lie adjacent to the back of the instrument when clamped thereto in use. Rest means, preferably a rest member or rest plate is adjustably connected to the support member by locking means which selectively locks the support memeber in a particular orientation with respect to the rest means. The locking means is preferably a selectively lockable universal joint for example, a ball and socket joint.
An advantage of the described supporting device is that a change in the playing position of the instrument does not involve a change of the support plate position. This is a result of the use of the ball and socket joint between the rest member and the support member, thus ensuring that the strain on the player while holding the instrument is reduced.
A further advantage is that change in position of the instrument, independently of the support plate, may be provided for any desired or customary position by adjustment of the ball and socket joint. The ball and socket joint may be fixed in a known way by rotating the head via a locking screw, and the instrument position may be locked by hand without moving the instrument and without putting a bow for the stringed instrument down even during very short pauses in play.
The supporting device can be carefully fastened to all usual instruments, and it is possible to adapt the instrument position to the customary playing positions of the musician.
As a result of the arrangement of component parts of the supporting device, in particular as a result of the positioning of the rest member independently of the position of the support member, a basic positioning of the rest member is possible. The rest member may be substantially adapted to the anatomy of the player, as a result of which the chin region and the arm of the player are not strained and therefore are less prone to cramping.